Improved Headlights?

[pemarsh]

Has anyone heard of, or actually done, a replacement of the headlights (hi and lo beams) with sylvania silverstars??? I have heard they will improve the lighting quite a bit.

[EnDLesS]

HID better than any regular bulbs. I replaced mine with REAL HID ( Ballast, Relay & HID Bulbs)

[pemarsh]

allrighty...cool! Can someone tell me which bulbs to buy, and how to install?? I was under the impression that it took a lot of doing to put HID's in there.

[jarcara]

I put the silverstars in and they work great, the color is a nice white vs a yellowish halogen. I have been considering moving to HID but it's another $500.. I put a dual headrest video system in for the kids instead. Stick with a name brand like Sylvania or PIAA. I tried other brands with a similar look and had one explode inside the light housing (not easy to clean out).

Joe

Also, I have read in other posts that you have to file the housing opening to fit the bulb. Not sure if newer bulbs fit correctly now.

[bartkat]

I put the silverstars in and they work great, the color is a nice white vs a yellowish halogen.  I have been considering moving to HID but it's another $500.. I put a dual headrest video system in for the kids instead.  Stick with a name brand like Sylvania or PIAA.  I tried other brands with a similar look and had one explode inside the light housing (not easy to clean out).

Joe

Also, I have read in other posts that you have to file the housing opening to fit the bulb.  Not sure if newer bulbs fit correctly now.

←

If you are not going to true HID, Silverstars are probably the whitest of the standart type bulbs.

All the PIAA, ect high color temp bulbs just look blue, but put our less actual light.

[pemarsh]

looks like ill be getting the sylvanias...they seem the easiest to put it...just take one out and put this one in. Not willing to do any mods/shaving,etc. Also, $500 is too much for better lighting with hid.

thanks!!!

perry

[EnDLesS]

Good Luck but just becareful because i had bad experienced with those hi-wattage bulbs which i drove @nite time & leave the lights on constantly for few hours and end up melted both of the headlights wiring ( Factory socket & wiring )

:(

Since that happened no more those junk replacement bulbs for me, get Real Time

HID :D

[pemarsh]

that can actually happen with the sylvanias???????

[EnDLesS]

I didnt know about Sylvanias but my advice just be carefull u dont know until try it & find out. Back then i had some good brand name ( Sorry i dont mention product name here ) and happened to bad & melted all the headlight wiring socket

i had those hi-wattage bulbs for about 5/6 months in my car and will ever/never put that in any of my car again.

Since then i only stick with REAL HID (Ballast, Relay & HID Bulbs)

[bartkat]

that can actually happen with the sylvanias???????

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No there will be no problems with the Sylvanias. . They meet OEM specs and are the same wattage as original bulbs.

People get into trouble when they go with higher wattages.

[jarcara]

I experimented with a higher wattage bulb 80W and 100Watt but they overall light was dimmer due to the extra draw on the system. It was quite odd. Sylvanias will be fine and they are easy for a nice tweak.

[Rookie]

I experimented with a higher wattage bulb 80W and 100Watt but they overall light was dimmer due to the extra draw on the system.  It was quite odd.  Sylvanias will be fine and they are easy for a nice tweak.

←

FWIW, I've been running the higher wattage bulbs (if I recall, I use 60W for lows and 80W for highs, will double check) for about 8 months without any problems. I installed Slee's upgrade harness, which you can purchase at Sleeoffroad.com. Apparently the OEM wiring is inadequate (as some of you have noticed) for carrying the load needed to run the higher wattage bulbs. I didn't notice much difference in the low beam output, but there is a significant difference in the high beams.

Quote of Slee's site: "The single most cost effective upgrade one can do to the headlights on a 80 Series is to install a upgraded wiring harness. Low voltage due to losses in the stock wiring can reduce the light output of the headlight bulbs. In addition,. if higher wattage headlights bulbs are installed, the oem harness and plugs can melt due to excessive current draw."

Everything with the harness is plug and play. Takes about an hour, most of which is removing some pieces and parts to place the wiring.

I've heard mixed reviews on the Sylvanias, from good to crap. Although the white light from these bulbs looks neato, question is are they putting more light down on the road at a distance. I haven't sat behind them, so I donno.

Total cost for me to put in the harness and 4 new bulbs was about $80.

Rookie

[GlennR]

I upgraded to the Sylvanias about 4 months ago and they are only marginally better than stock lights. My biggest problem with this style of headlight (projector) is the actual light pattern that they throw on the road - although the Sylvanias are a bit brighter, they don't seem to overcome the pattern limitations. Other than that, they work just fine and are a breeze to install. I am looking into HIDs, but heard that they are no longer street legal.

[jarcara]

You are correct on the legality of xenon. Apparently august or september of 93 did them in. You have to order them as an "off road" option to get them. Again, they look great, the sylvania's are probably the better of the other options. I have had two fail on me. They are just easy to install. At some point I may invest in xenon. I use the sylvania's in my crossfire as well. The dealer told me that the projectors are setup for a xenon kit but who knows. I recall checking into a replacement xenon headlight for my mercedes C280 and it was $1,250 for one headlight. I finally convinced then I only needed a glass lens replacement ($100). Sylvanias are a good consumer grade tweak...

[EnDLesS]

GlennR, HID no longer street legal? since when? who said that?

I had Phillips Real HID system since '98 until now... 7 years i had no problem @all.

Now when you mention street legal ~ how much/ which candle power you talking about here? for the HID system that street legal is not more than 8K bright /candle

power <~ thats same use on the Benz,Bimmer 7 series & Lexus SC430 all of those car use 8K. Probably that you got mixed up & misunderstood with the 15K .

I know theres some real/very bright HID out there,I mean super bright it can blind other driver & cause accidents.Now that you definetely asking for ticket..LOL..

[Chipofftheoldblock]

There are two articles on the web regarding the HID. The article from July 2003 at the following link:

http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0.../b01-221695.htm

and the one from Nov 17, 2004 at: http://www.detnews.com/2004/commuting/0411/17/C10-7214.htm

It appears that some of the conversion kits are targeted.

I just recently upgraded to Silver Stars and there was only a marginal improvement as GlennR also mentioned (I have been so accustomed to the standard halogen, that I am really just adjusting to the whiter beam, but they are 'growing' on me). I live in a predominately rural area and was looking for better lighting on the backroads in my area which have no streetlights. Of course, you cannot tell any difference in urban areas due to all the surrounding lighting.

Chip

[GlennR]

I may be incorrect about the "street-legal" aspects of HID headlights - perhaps it was Xenon, etc. Chip's articles are close to way I remember seeing. Either way, I am disappointed in the overall headlight coverage of the LX470, with or without the Silvania's. What options exist now?

[bartkat]

The thing that caused the problem with HID kits was that some people were using D2S bulbs made for projectors, but putting them in reflector housings which would call for a D2R bulb. The result is lots of light scatter, and a poor beam cutoff, which blinded other drivers. These people kinda ruined it for the rest of us.

Some places still sell kits which are said to be "off road only". You can install one of those and take your chances. I'd just try to make sure that you have the correct bulbs for your housings, and that the HID capsule is located the proper distance from the reflector so that it focuses correctly.

LiteSwap.com used to sell beam corrected H4's etc which worked fine. However, when the NHTSA ruling cam along they stopped selling kits.

[EnDLesS]

Well i totally agreed with those article but did you guys at least lowered the headlights after installed the new bulbs. By lowering/adjusting the headlights also reduce the glare. When that time i installed HID i was surprised with the brightness

and i figured it out theres no way i can drive with this thing on, so i adjusted my low beam.

Probably right with Chip said about the urban area n suburb area, hey at least did you try adjust your low beam lower?who know maybe works .

[bartkat]

The thing that caused the problem with HID kits was that some people were using D2S bulbs made for projectors, but putting them in reflector housings which would call for a D2R bulb.  The result is lots of light scatter, and a poor beam cutoff, which blinded other drivers.  These people kinda ruined it for the rest of us.

Some places still sell kits which are said to be "off road only".  You can install one of those and take your chances.  I'd just try to make sure that you have the correct bulbs for your housings, and that the HID capsule is located the proper distance from the reflector so that it focuses correctly. 

LiteSwap.com used to sell beam corrected H4's etc which worked fine.  However, when the NHTSA ruling cam along they stopped selling kits.

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What bulb do you have and in what housing? That's what makes the big difference.

If you have projector bulbs in a reflector housing, you're still going to get scatter, no matter how you adjust.

If you have the proper kit that was made for your headlight setup, then you are probably ok. Since you put them in in '98, they should be grandfathered. You just can't legally install and run with a new kit now.

[Reed Hunt]

Why weren't HID headlights an option on the 2004 LX470?

I initially thought it was due to the size/weight of the vehicle, but I have seen several comparable SUVs with HID...?

[pagemaster]

Has anyone heard of, or actually done, a replacement of the headlights (hi and lo beams) with sylvania silverstars???  I have heard they will improve the lighting quite a bit.

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I do know that the LX470 which is sold overseas comes equipped with an HID headlight system. It also comes with a back up sonar sensing system as well.

So they do make the parts for the Lx470 you would just have to find it.

Lexus Saudi Arabia

Scroll down a little and you will see Xenon light and Xenon lamp center

[ShadyJC]

Hi all, new here, sorry for a late reply to this but I did the Sylvania Silverstar upgrade to my 2001 LX about 2-3 months ago and am pleased with the results. Some of the earlier comments about HIDs being way brighter are right on - but then again for $35 it's a very worthwhile upgrade.

Here's a side-by-side mid-install pic with the Sylvania upgrade on the passenger side, stock on the driver side. I replaced the low beams and the fog lights (the low beams are H1ST and the fogs are H3ST).

I don't know if this is kosher over here but here's a thread about the same topic on another forum: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...threadid=133223

[eleypon]

No one has mentioned it but just in case you did not know, it is very important you do not touch the bulbs with your hands. Wear clean gloves.

[bartkat]

If you can't go HID, then SilverStars are the best thing going. I always handle bulbs by the base, no finger oil on the glass.